Chapter Seventy-Three: New Developments in the Valley of Miasma

Su Yi took a few deep breaths to regain his composure.

Although a certain idea of his was truly exciting, it was, for now, just a conjecture. Whether the fossil resurrection technology from the Pokémon world could actually revive fossil remains from the Monster Hunter world was still unknown. And even if it worked, what form would the revived creature take? Would there be any other unforeseen changes? These questions remained unanswered.

Except for the four special fossil Pokémon from Galar, Pokémon revived from fossils typically possessed Rock-type attributes. Perhaps due to being sealed in stone for so long, their genes had changed to some extent, making the resurrected Pokémon not entirely identical to their ancient originals. Then what about fossils from the Monster Hunter world?

Moreover, there was the risk of the revived creature going berserk or running wild—another concern that needed careful consideration and precautions.

All these things would have to be verified step by step, but at this moment, Su Yi could no longer sit still. It was as if the Serpent King Dragon was crawling on him; he simply had to dig up a few pieces and let Mao Shi examine them to see if there was any potential.

“Heh, see? Just thinking about reviving fossil Pokémon gets your heart racing, doesn’t it?” Mao Shi, noticing Su Yi’s repeated deep breaths to suppress his excitement, spoke with an air of pride.

Su Yi nodded, “It really does.”

“In that case! Auntie, give me your contact info. I’ll go hunt for fossils right away!” Su Yi said with utmost seriousness.

If this worked out, wouldn’t he owe her a nice cup of cappuccino?

“What do you mean, ‘Auntie’?! My name is Mao Shi—and besides, do you think fossils are that easy to dig up?” Mao Shi retorted, but still handed over her contact information.

Su Yi smiled faintly. Difficult to dig? I’m practically dancing on their graves!

“Thank you, Auntie! Goodbye, Auntie! Aibo, let’s go!” Su Yi memorized the contact info and, without another word, turned and left.

Mao Shi: “...”

...

After finding a secluded corner, Su Yi recalled Lucao and transported himself to the rocky cave camp in the Valley of Miasma.

“Whew, just thinking about it is a thrill,” Su Yi took a deep breath and, along with Lucao, emerged from the cave.

“It’s your stage now, Great Jagras,” Su Yi released his Great Jagras.

“Great Jagras, gather your underlings and collect some recent intel on the Valley of Miasma,” Su Yi instructed.

The Great Jagras nodded, lifted its head, and let out a series of roars, its throat sacs vibrating on either side to produce a distinctive sound.

Before long, a small pack of Jagras came running from every nook and cranny.

“How impressive, Rotom! He gathered so many Pokémon at once,” the mobile Rotom captured this gang-like assembly on film.

“Meow?!”

At first, the Jagras bared their fangs at Su Yi, roaring fiercely, which startled Lucao. But under the intimidating presence of the Great Jagras, they quickly fell into line. It seemed that after gaining the power of a Pokémon, the Great Jagras’ ability to call and control its kind had grown stronger.

Next, the Great Jagras began to communicate with the others in various tones, gathering information.

Taking advantage of this interval, Su Yi opened the map and marked several locations—places where he had previously seen the Serpent King Dragon’s bones exposed, making it easier to collect remains.

“Awooo!”

A violent roar interrupted the gang gathering. Su Yi put down his Hunter’s Guide and looked up.

“Well, well. The old king is out and the new king’s taking the throne, is that it?” Su Yi remarked in surprise.

The newcomer was another Great Jagras, leading its own pack. It roared at Su Yi’s Great Jagras, staking its claim over the territory.

Unwilling to back down, the old chief let out a long howl. After a brief commotion, the two packs retreated, clearing the field for the duel between the old and new leaders.

Old Chief, Great Jagras: What are you looking at!? Come out and fight!

The new chief roared and charged forward.

“Aibo, strike up a battle tune for our Valley of Miasma godfather!” Su Yi laughed.

“Understood, meow!” Lucao pulled out her instrument and played the stirring “Proof of a Hero.”

At the same time, the Great Jagras lunged at the new chief.

Boom!

The two giant lizards collided, then reared up, locking forelimbs in a contest of strength.

As Lucao’s performance ended, faint phantoms of musical notes wreathed the Great Jagras, whose power surged slightly, allowing it to gradually overpower the new chief.

New Chief: You brought backup?!

Great Jagras: When you run with a gang, you need influence and connections, you little nobody!

With a resounding crash, the slightly stronger Great Jagras toppled the new chief. Refusing to yield, the challenger bared its paralyzing fangs and lunged again.

“Aibo, keep the music going!”

“Right away, meow!” Lucao played the battle tune once more.

Soon, both Great Jagras were locked in a fierce struggle, neither willing to give ground. Their physiques were evenly matched, so their raw strength should have been about the same.

But with Lucao’s rousing performance, Su Yi’s Great Jagras had its physical attack and critical rate boosted by two levels, instantly tipping the scales.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

The Great Jagras bared its fangs and hissed, then launched itself like a cobra in a sudden, snapping attack.

The new chief fought back, but in that instant, the Great Jagras unleashed Thunder Fang—golden lightning danced between its teeth.

Crash! Crackle!

They collided, lightning flashed, and the new chief was sent flying, a charred bite mark marring its body.

Awooo!

The Great Jagras let out a fearsome roar, proclaiming its dominance.

The Jagras it had summoned joined in, roaring in support, while the new chief’s followers shrank back in fear.

Seeing the Great Jagras’ ferocity—and with its squad emboldened by the Team Intimidate trait—the new chief lost its nerve.

A wise beast knows when to retreat; after all, there was no need to die for this patch of land. The Valley of Miasma was vast.

The new chief slunk away, and with the information now gathered, Su Yi dismissed the Jagras and inquired about the situation.

Now it was time for Interpreter Lucao to step in.

Lucao meowed and gestured as she communicated with the Great Jagras, the two of them pantomiming seriously.

“Meow.” After a while, Lucao scratched her head, walked over, and after organizing her thoughts, reported, “It seems the Valley of Miasma hasn’t been very peaceful lately, meow. Two irritable giants have been fighting from time to time, and there’s another presence that frightens them and makes them uneasy, meow.”

“Irritable giants and a presence that scares monsters…” Su Yi mused.

Though the Jagras could act as scouts, their limited intelligence meant they couldn’t express details—only that the creatures were big and had fierce tempers.

Still, it confirmed that powerful and aggressive monsters were indeed active in the Valley of Miasma.

“Let’s be careful and start with the easier remains,” Su Yi said, marking a certain ramp on the map, its edge lined with fan-shaped bone blades.